Anti-Coach snobs...ugh

[NutsAboutCoach]

I have a confession; I was one of those snobs. Now, I never trashed Coach in any of my posts but I went off the brand around the time signature came out and in my opinion, quality had declined. I moved on to LV, which touts itself as a luxury brand and dabbled in Prada, Miu Miu, Chanel, Mulberry and finally Hermes. Of these, Hermes and Mulberry stand by their product. They repair without blaming the customer for whatever needs to be repaired and if it's a defect, they call it a defect. LV is notorious for knowing about quality issues and pretending they don't exist. Prada sold $2000+ fairy bags that couldn't get wet or the image would run, never told their customers and then refused returns. There are threads on all of this.

Hermes has gone from a luxury experience to an expensive head game. Want a Birkin? In some places you have to buy thousands of dollars worth of other stuff before you are good enough to be offered one. There are threads on this too.

In every luxury designer forum, you will see threads posted about declining quality, shoddy repairs, poor customer service and so on.

Which brings me back to Coach. There I was, minding my own business on the train to work when I glanced at the beautiful beige satchel held by the woman next to me. Her hand was covering the logo. I kept peeking and you can imagine my shock when I saw the word Coach. Out came the iPhone and there it was -- a sand Haley and it was only $358! That was one tenth of what LV would charge for a similar style all leather bag. Now I was curious. I visited an outlet made a purchase of a sand Romy but couldn't get past the "I can't buy a Coach" mentality so I returned it.

Then I saw the Anna Sui FDL duffel and also saw that a fellow Hermes refugee bought one. That, my friends, marked my return.

Here's my humble opinion: Coach is trying to position itself as a luxury brand and for now, they are affordable luxury. Bringing in the former designer from Loewe may boost the brand even further. Loewe bags, like Coach, have an understated elegance but come in gorgeous colors. In the meantime, the return of the classics I grew up with and the introduction of Legacy leather have definitely brought me back. So what if the bags are made in China? So are many of the luxury brands, although they are finished in France, Italy, etc., in a way that will allow a "Made in France" label to be added.

There are no games being played at Coach. Need a repair? They'll do it. Need customer service? You have it. And above all, these bags are still being hand made -- and they are usually less than $1000.

Let people bash the brand. They don't know what they're missing.

Thank you for your honesty and your perpective.

 

[whateve]

The bag I carry does say a lot about me. It says I'm feeling feisty, or I'm in a retro state of mind, or I'm using a bag that serves as my mental suit of armor when I'm having a tough day. It says I'm going to the flea market today, or I'm reminiscing about a special day when I got the bag I'm carrying. It says I'm feeling girly, or outdoorsy, or goofy, or serious.

It cannot tell you about my bank account, or my job, or socioeconomic standing. Well, you'd know (if you cared) that at some point in time I, or someone who gives me gifts, had sufficient cash or credit to buy this bag without risk of losing food or shelter.

I don't read threads like "what would you never carry?" or the like, because it can only be one thing. The statistical likelihood of reading such a thread and finding no derogatory comments about my beloved brands is 0.000001%, and I don't really see the point. I've seen some of the less-than-tactful comments (and snaps to MFF bags giving you the clap, best quote ever), here's my question: what do people who say ugly things (not just sharing opinions, there's a difference) expect to happen? That somewhere in the world, a Coach/Dooney-lover stands up and screams "MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!!!", burns all of her heinous bags and dances naked around the flames (since they have no dollar value and needy people would do better to carry around their belongings in a knotted bandanna) then knocks over a liquor store and buys a LV/Chanel/Prada/Miu Miu/I'm out of examples with the proceeds, thereby creating the best evah illustration of ends justifying the means and moral equivalency?

Did I just make up words?

If someone looked at me or my bag in a disparaging way, my assumption would be they don't like me or my bag, or they have that resting *****face syndrome we're all hearing so much about lately. That actually has never happened to me (and I lived in Dallas for 10 years, working in Oil and Gas - if there's a higher concentration of LV in this country, I'm not sure where it is, and I think it's lovely so if you like LV and want to see real-life examples, I've just provided your next vacation destination). If it did happen, I didn't notice. If anyone has ever seen me giving a bag a dirty look, that wasn't me. I'm the weird lady who will compliment your bag whether it's sewn with thread from unicorn mane or came from the discount bin's discount bin.

Thank you for posting this. It made me smile. You have a wonderful way with words. I lived in Dallas for awhile too so I know what you mean. I don't know if it is still that way, but when I lived there people dressed up, like they were going to meet the queen, just to go to the mall.

 

[CoachCruiser]

Restricter: I loved your post. Insightful and honest. And then I saw the picture of your kitty and cried. On Sept 5, almost 2 weeks ago now, my cat Juno passed away at 15 yrs old. I adored him since he was a baby...he WAS my baby. I miss him every day. A reminder to me that bags are bags - they're THINGS. Animals and people can never be replaced.

 

[whateve]

Restricter: I loved your post. Insightful and honest. And then I saw the picture of your kitty and cried. On Sept 5, almost 2 weeks ago now, my cat Juno passed away at 15 yrs old. I adored him since he was a baby...he WAS my baby. I miss him every day. A reminder to me that bags are bags - they're THINGS. Animals and people can never be replaced.

I'm sorry about your kitty. My calico died two years ago. She was only 10. She was my baby. When she was only 6 weeks old, she used to sit on the back of my neck. I had to walk hunched over so she wouldn't fall off. She was the smartest and most loving cat I've ever seen. We used to play hide and seek. I miss her so much.

 

[jailnurse93]

The bag I carry does say a lot about me. It says I'm feeling feisty, or I'm in a retro state of mind, or I'm using a bag that serves as my mental suit of armor when I'm having a tough day. It says I'm going to the flea market today, or I'm reminiscing about a special day when I got the bag I'm carrying. It says I'm feeling girly, or outdoorsy, or goofy, or serious.

It cannot tell you about my bank account, or my job, or socioeconomic standing. Well, you'd know (if you cared) that at some point in time I, or someone who gives me gifts, had sufficient cash or credit to buy this bag without risk of losing food or shelter.

I don't read threads like "what would you never carry?" or the like, because it can only be one thing. The statistical likelihood of reading such a thread and finding no derogatory comments about my beloved brands is 0.000001%, and I don't really see the point. I've seen some of the less-than-tactful comments (and snaps to MFF bags giving you the clap, best quote ever), here's my question: what do people who say ugly things (not just sharing opinions, there's a difference) expect to happen? That somewhere in the world, a Coach/Dooney-lover stands up and screams "MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!!!", burns all of her heinous bags and dances naked around the flames (since they have no dollar value and needy people would do better to carry around their belongings in a knotted bandanna) then knocks over a liquor store and buys a LV/Chanel/Prada/Miu Miu/I'm out of examples with the proceeds, thereby creating the best evah illustration of ends justifying the means and moral equivalency?

Did I just make up words?

If someone looked at me or my bag in a disparaging way, my assumption would be they don't like me or my bag, or they have that resting *****face syndrome we're all hearing so much about lately. That actually has never happened to me (and I lived in Dallas for 10 years, working in Oil and Gas - if there's a higher concentration of LV in this country, I'm not sure where it is, and I think it's lovely so if you like LV and want to see real-life examples, I've just provided your next vacation destination). If it did happen, I didn't notice. If anyone has ever seen me giving a bag a dirty look, that wasn't me. I'm the weird lady who will compliment your bag whether it's sewn with thread from unicorn mane or came from the discount bin's discount bin.

LOL....So true! No one in their right mind is going to break bad over a bag!

 

[ambrva1]

Funny to read these! My friends constantly tease me because I spend so much on Coach.

 

[MedtechCarol]

The bag I carry does say a lot about me. It says I'm feeling feisty, or I'm in a retro state of mind, or I'm using a bag that serves as my mental suit of armor when I'm having a tough day. It says I'm going to the flea market today, or I'm reminiscing about a special day when I got the bag I'm carrying. It says I'm feeling girly, or outdoorsy, or goofy, or serious.

It cannot tell you about my bank account, or my job, or socioeconomic standing. Well, you'd know (if you cared) that at some point in time I, or someone who gives me gifts, had sufficient cash or credit to buy this bag without risk of losing food or shelter.

I don't read threads like "what would you never carry?" or the like, because it can only be one thing. The statistical likelihood of reading such a thread and finding no derogatory comments about my beloved brands is 0.000001%, and I don't really see the point. I've seen some of the less-than-tactful comments (and snaps to MFF bags giving you the clap, best quote ever), here's my question: what do people who say ugly things (not just sharing opinions, there's a difference) expect to happen? That somewhere in the world, a Coach/Dooney-lover stands up and screams "MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!!!", burns all of her heinous bags and dances naked around the flames (since they have no dollar value and needy people would do better to carry around their belongings in a knotted bandanna) then knocks over a liquor store and buys a LV/Chanel/Prada/Miu Miu/I'm out of examples with the proceeds, thereby creating the best evah illustration of ends justifying the means and moral equivalency?

Did I just make up words?

If someone looked at me or my bag in a disparaging way, my assumption would be they don't like me or my bag, or they have that resting *****face syndrome we're all hearing so much about lately. That actually has never happened to me (and I lived in Dallas for 10 years, working in Oil and Gas - if there's a higher concentration of LV in this country, I'm not sure where it is, and I think it's lovely so if you like LV and want to see real-life examples, I've just provided your next vacation destination). If it did happen, I didn't notice. If anyone has ever seen me giving a bag a dirty look, that wasn't me. I'm the weird lady who will compliment your bag whether it's sewn with thread from unicorn mane or came from the discount bin's discount bin.

Friggin' awesome.

 

[ktheartscoach]

I can't multi quote, y'all are so funny. Thank you for all the kind words! Maybe we should have Coachie merit badges: "Snob Survivor" could be one???

 

[Moolio]

Ugh. A lot of premier bags are downright ugly.

+1 for me personally. But to each their own.

I have found that it seems to be LV buyers / collectors that are the worse offenders (in my reading experience).....and I can't understand what they have to be snobs of. They're paying very big bucks for coated canvas...........which is plastic covered fabric.

IDK. They must think since they spend more on their bags than we do on Coach that they're better than we are.

LOL! That's what I could never wrap my head around either! Why would someone ever willingly pay thousands of their hard-earned dollars for PLASTIC-COATED FABRIC? Just because it has a print on it (that IMO is super ugly I might add) that's been deemed "prestigious"?

Give me a break.

 

[Suzanne B.]

I can't multi quote, y'all are so funny. Thank you for all the kind words! Maybe we should have Coachie merit badges: "Snob Survivor" could be one???

Look in the lower right corner, see 'Quote', then a circle, then 'QReply'? Go to each post that you want to reply to and click on the circle. On the last post you want to reply to, click on the circle, then click on 'Quote' and all of the posts you want to reply to will be there.....at least that's how I do it.

 

[Suzanne B.]

+1 for me personally. But to each their own.


LOL! That's what I could never wrap my head around either! Why would someone ever willingly pay thousands of their hard-earned dollars for PLASTIC-COATED FABRIC? Just because it has a print on it (that IMO is super ugly I might add) that's been deemed "prestigious"?

Give me a break.

Seriously!

 

[Moolio]

Restricter: I loved your post. Insightful and honest. And then I saw the picture of your kitty and cried. On Sept 5, almost 2 weeks ago now, my cat Juno passed away at 15 yrs old. I adored him since he was a baby...he WAS my baby. I miss him every day. A reminder to me that bags are bags - they're THINGS. Animals and people can never be replaced.

I'm sorry about your kitty. My calico died two years ago. She was only 10. She was my baby. When she was only 6 weeks old, she used to sit on the back of my neck. I had to walk hunched over so she wouldn't fall off. She was the smartest and most loving cat I've ever seen. We used to play hide and seek. I miss her so much.

I am so sorry for both your losses :cry:
Many internet hugs are going out to you.

 

[CoachCruiser]

I am so sorry for both your losses :cry:
Many internet hugs are going out to you.

Thank you so much.

 

[jojon21]

Look in the lower right corner, see 'Quote', then a circle, then 'QReply'? Go to each post that you want to reply to and click on the circle. On the last post you want to reply to, click on the circle, then click on 'Quote' and all of the posts you want to reply to will be there.....at least that's how I do it.

Thanks for posting this explanation! I too have been multi-quote challenged and could never find out how to do it, till now!

 

[Suzanne B.]

Thanks for posting this explanation! I too have been multi-quote challenged and could never find out how to do it, till now!

You're welcome! I almost started a thread to explain, so others would see it too, but then decided somebody would probably complain that it was not a thread about Coach or handbags....